FARM AND DAIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1931, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY

NOTES OF THE WEEK. EDUCATION OF FACTORY MANAGERS. GRADE CQW’S BIG RECORD. ;■ New Zealand butter and cheese in the great majority of cases has attained a high standard of excellence, yet the men responsible for its manufacture have never been afforded an opportunity of obtaining any technical education. Invariably their only education has ended at the sixth standard of a primary school. They commence their factory "experience and end up as managers of even huge concerns with out even an elementary knowledge of bacteriology, a science upon which the pocesses of butter and cheesemaking so largely depend. Seeing the great importance of quality m our export butter and cheese the technical education of future factory managers is a matter of vital concern not only to the industry but to the country. Fortunately we now have provision at Massey College, were insisted on fn making proknowledge to factory workers, but the opportunity is not being availed of as it should be. The blame for this must largely rest with the dairy companies. If a certificate, or diploma, of Massey College, wee nsisted on in making promitions on factory staffs the men would no longer ignore the scientific training the Massey College authorities have provided. This is a- matter the Hairy Produce Board shoidd take an inteiest in urging factory directorates to demand that at least the more highly paid men of their staffs should be properly educated. HIGHEST FOR DOMINION. I Of the 226,000 cows tested under group herd test throughout New Zealand last season the highest yield was thate returned by a grade Jersey that poduced 7241 b fae in 324 days. This young cow, Lady, is the property o Mr J. McSweeney, Matamata, and she was tested by the New Zealand Co-op. Herd Testing Association. She put up her splendid record on grass alone with no supplementary feed with the exception of a little hay and ensilage in the early spring. Her performance is all the more creditable by virtue ol the fact that she was running with a herd of 34 on a small farm of 50 acres that also carried 22 heifer calves, five yearling heifers and five horses. Air McSweeney, however, always keeps his pasture in first-class ode. He topdresses twice a year at the rate of 6 cwt to the acre, using two parts of superphosphate to one of bone and one of guanQ'. n * It was only by chance that the Dominion’s champion producing grade cow of last season was reared at all* The other calves had all been killed at birth but she, being a very late arrival, was allowed to survive. The origion of Lady, unfortunately, is shrouded in mystery, but from her appearance, there can be little doubt that theie are some good pedigree Jersey bulls not far remote in her family tree. About nine years ago Mr McSweeney bought a whole herd of cows from a dealer. A high grade Jersey that proved to be one of the very few good cows in the ■ collection, did not come in until April. Although all the other calves had been killed her calf being out of season, was allowed to survive. She quickly grew into a bonny heifer, and the cognomen of Lady was selected for her. On her fist calf she poduced 3401 b fat in seven months and was not tested until last season when she carried off the leading honours for the world’s largest herd testing association, _ Incidentally, a four-yearold daughter of Lady’s tested as a heifer was the highest producer last season in a neighbour’s herd of 120 head. THE PIG INDUSTRY. An endeavour is being made to get the co-operative dairy companies in the Auckland povince to take an interest in the pig-marketing business, especially in the matter of developing ah export trade. The opinion is gaining ground that the business of cooperative pig marketing will never be successfully established till the Danish and American system is adopted—making the farmer sign up for a period of years to confirm, his supply entirely to bis co-operative association.

BUTTERFAT PRICES. According to a recent number of “Butter-fat”, a dairying journal in British Columbia, co-operative dairy companies in Western Canadian and Americanf States were paying out from 24c to,' 25c. a pound for butter-fat, but in districts where there were no cooperative factories the suppliers to the proprietary concerns were only getting 13c (6}d) for their butterfat. In some cases a little lower, but on the aver-age-r-13e.

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT The suitability of high testing milk for cheese making, doubt upon which ■ has lately been cast by a number of people, is strongly supported by recent experiments conducted bv J. C. Marquardt at the Geneva experimental station, New York. According to the Dairy Farmer (U.S.A.) the tests show that milk containing 5 per cent of butter-fat makes the highest quality cheese. Marquardt used milk from Jersey cows in these cheese tests and the resulting product was equal to the best shown at the New York State fair. Another exhibit at' the 'National Dairy Exposition, Indianapolis, was among the prize winners. Not only was the cheese of high qual-

ity, but the yield was also high. The 5 per cent, milk yielded 131 b of cheese from 1001 b of milk compared to 10.51 b from the same amount of 4 per cent, milk and 8.31 b from 3 per cent. milk. The same expeiments show that there was no more butter-fat lost in the whey from high testing milk than from low testing milk. These results indicated, according to Marquardt, that the butter-fat test is approximately accurate as a basis of payment for milk intended for cheese making. AN EXAMPLE. The proprietors of the butter-mak-ing plant in the United States were recently fined for under-reading the Babcock milk test and thereby cheating the farmers who supplied it with cream, the concern being also called upon to pay over £2OO additional to its patrons for the butter-fat It robbed them of. In addition to the legal prosecution the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture revoked the testing license of both the testing officer and the manager. This is the third case of its kind the keen officials of the Pennsylvania Department have unearthed in recent months. COWS ON SHEEP COUNTRY. Purchased merely as a means of providing milk for house consumption on a sheep station at Mapiu, between Te Kuiti and Taumarunui, two pedigree Jersey heifers produced such a liberal supply that their owner, Mr Jas. Brake, recently visualised the possibilities of dairying as a side line to sheep farming. In consequence, he secund several more pedigree Jersey heifers and for the season just concluded lie had the satisfaction of heading the small herd division of the New Zealand Co-op Herd Testing Association, the biggest organisation of its kind in tlie world, with the splendid average for six of 401.661 b fat in only 24 days Considering the steep, rugged nature of the country the performance of the little herd was nothing short of remarkable and it certainly draws very marked attention to the opportunity presented sheep farmers of supplement ing their incomes by the introduction of a few dairy cows of the right type. FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. It was recently reported that the Canadian Government has prohibited the importation of Danish bacon on the ground that there was a real risk of cured bacon carrying live germs of foot and mouth disease. The London “Times” in remaking on this says: “If this is so the British regulations designed to safeguard the health of our herds and flocks need to be reviewed in the light of the new facts.” HEIFER’S GOOD YIELD. The adaptability of the breed to all parts of the Dominion is evidenced by the performance in Southland of the pedigree Jersey heifer, Crofton Emma who, commencing test at the very tender age of one year eleven months, produced 5361 b fat under Government semi-official test. Crqjfton Emma, whose yield is the highest iecorded by a Jersey of her age in the province, is the property of Mr A. Crowe, Makarewa. She is by a son Viola’s Golden Laddie (imp.) a'bull that did great work for the breed in New Zealand from a cow tracing back to such illustrations forebears as Belvedere Sungleam, K.C.8., Genoa Daisy and Silver Ring. SEMI-OFFICIAL TESTING

The latest Merit List for pedigree Jerseys under semi-official test shows that the highest return of the month is that credited to the young Taranaki cow, Glenroy Poppy, the property of Mr L, Hale, New Plymouth, which produced 72.321 b fat. This young cow is particularly well bred, being by a son of Hawkesbury Blue Light, who in turn, is a son of the noted Majesty Inin, Hawkesbury Nobleman. Another feature of the month’s testing work is the excellent perfomance of the Otago heifer, P. J. Ilellyer’s (Dunedin) Frisky’s I avourite, who yielded 61.301 b fat in the.junior two-year-old class. For a heifer of her tender age—she was under two years old when she started her test—she is putting up a record for the breed in the South Island. In 279 days she has given 559.601 b fat which should carry her well beyond the 7001 b mark for the full tweve months. Athougli in most cases final returns are not yet available the indications are that the season’s testing work amongst pedigree Jerseys will reveal a veritable host of outstanding performances. Those that have already been published are sufficient in themselves to indicate that the productive capacity of New Zealand Jerseys is being raised almost every year to an even higher standard. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, which stages one of the leading agricultural shows of the Empire, recently held its centennial show. It is interesting to recall that thp first show of this society in 1822 (there were several years in which the show was not hold) was promoted in a period of agricultural depression. At that time the parlous condition of agriculture was ascribed to many causes ; to a transition from war to peace, the rise in the value of money, the superabundance of produce, the importation of foreign grain and a variety of others. Then, as now, the matter of remedying the position was just as obscure. According to the Transgressions of the Society in reporting_on the position at that time: “If great diffeienee of opinion prevailed in regard to the causes, opinions were equally divided as to the remedies proper to Be applied.” As the “Scottish Farmer” says “The hundredth show takes place in the midst of a period of agricultural and industrial depression such as has never occurred in living memory.”